Most restaurant-goers are looking for an experience when they’re dining out—one that is worthy of their hard-earned money. Therefore, it’s important to craft the menu in a way that resonates with customers and even inspires them to take certain action.

Think of your menu as an opportunity to subtly educate and promote the extensive nature of the “source to table” process, which isn’t often thought of when placing an order. Subliminal messaging and the power of suggestion are great ways to guide the decision-making process.

Here are a few ways you can get your customers to experience your best dishes and, ultimately, order more.

Involving the right key players before signing a lease allows you to get instant feedback on the big decisions you have to make. Get these professionals engaged early on for their advice—doing so will help complications down the line.

Each one of these professionals can lean on each other, too, and answer certain questions when evaluating a potential commercial space. It is sort of like a domino effect; the designer designs the space, a contractor gives you an estimate based on design and then you negotiate a contract with the landlord based on that determined budget.

Here are the five people you need to know before signing any commercial lease.

The experience someone has dining at your restaurant is just as important as the food itself. People go out to eat not just for their favorite bites, but to encounter something that they can’t get at home. When it comes to creating a memorable restaurant concept, it’s best to start with the basics. Here is how we help our clients establish a unique experience through interior design.

For those of us in the restaurant industry, one of the most important things to note about the Millennial generation is that they dine out more often than Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. It would behoove us as owners, operators and designers in food & beverage to pay attention to their wants and needs, and adapt to Millennial food trends.

In order to develop this list of things that restaurants should implement to please this activated segment of the population, I turned to my trusted peers, born between the early 1980s and late 1990s. Here’s what they had to say:

Your restaurant’s floor plan has direct impact on your profit margins. A well-designed layout can increase operational efficiency, enhance your customer and staff satisfaction, and boost the overall look and experience. Not to mention, a properly planned layout can also protect you from building code violations.

As designers, we have our process down to a “T.” Tasks that take non-designers days or weeks to complete are a cinch for us because we’ve streamlined our work into an effective and efficient process. Transforming a space can be an incredibly stressful event. When you put the work into the hands of a skilled and trusted expert, you can turn a hectic experience into a fun, easy and creative journey!

Gone are the days when a bar or restaurant chain could get away with looking exactly the same in every city and state. Bar and restaurant patrons are no longer creatures of comfort; they’re now creatures of curiosity. They seek out unique experiences that entice and excite – experiences that keep them engaged.

I think we all agree that good food and good customer service are crucial for return business, but businesses are finding that they need to do more than fine-tune their operations to sustain their customers. Diners are now searching for dining experiences that move the barometer from “good” to “awesome,” experiences that they can rave about to their friends and family.